How Healthy Is Your Lifestyle

Compelling evidence shows that certain lifestyle behaviours can improve health, prevent
premature death and may even prolong life. The problem is that people often drift along,
continuing their unhealthy ways - maybe vowing to stop smoking or drink less "some day soon"
- until a disease or health problem strikes and it may be too late to reverse the damage.
Assessing your lifestyle and how it affects health before illness occurs is a wise
precaution. (However, changing one's lifestyle even after illness can sometimes improve
health - for instance giving up cigarettes and exercising more after a heart attack.)

Why
assess lifestyle risks?

Accumulating scientific evidence shows that a few simple lifestyle
habits can directly improve health and decrease disease risks. Much disability and premature
death from today's foremost killers - heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, liver
cirrhosis, suicide and unintentional injuries - stem from everyday habits. Over half the
premature deaths in North America are blamed on unhealthy behaviours such as cigarette
smoking, insufficient exercise, excessive alcohol intake and a fat-laden diet. Only six per
cent of premature deaths are considered avoidable through better medical care. A California
study has demonstrated that disease risks can be reduced by not smoking cigarettes,
moderating alcohol use, eating breakfast, having regular physical activity, maintaining
desirable weight, getting enough (7-8 hours) nightly sleep and having close social networks.
The effect is cumulative: the greater the number of good lifestyle habits, the greater the
chance of better health and a longer life. A recent Canadian study confirmed a lower chance
of premature death by avoiding cigarette smoking, high blood pressure (related to obesity and
insufficient exercise), adult-onset diabetes (due to obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise)
and excess alcohol consumption. (However, some everyday influences are an unavoidable part of
the environment, over which individuals have little control - such as air pollution or
traffic noise.)

To evaluate your lifestyle, ask yourself a few key questions about everyday
activities such as the amount of fat you eat, smoking and drinking habits - see checklist
below - and evaluate which might be improving your health or perhaps damaging it. Consider
seeking advice from a health professional about habits you wish to change. Quick, easy
computer programs help rate your lifestyle To help people assess the health impact of various
lifestyle activities, a new Computerized Lifestyle Assessment (CLA) program, developed by the
Addiction Research Foundation and the University of Toronto, provides a practical, quick,
confidential and easy method of evaluating lifestyle strengths and weaknesses. The computer
program, which takes 20 minutes to run, asks detailed questions about 16 lifestyle
activities, with graphic feedback along the way and a printed report at the end.
Identification and feedback about risk activities that undermine health often lead people to
improve their lifestyle and seek advice from a health professional. For details about the CLA
program, call (416) 978-8989 or contact the publisher, Multi-Health Systems, at
1-800-268-6011.

The computer program asks questions about. * substance abuse; * health
maintenance; * preventive activities; * social and intimate relationships; * mental and
emotional wellbeing. The program feeds back information about: * lifestyle strengths or
activities to keep up * areas of concern or factors that can threaten health * risk areas
requiring action to prevent disease The final printout pinpoints health-harming behaviours,
some of which may come as a surprise, others that may be known to the person who might be
"thinking about" changing them. For example, a woman who thinks she leads a healthy life -
doesn't smoke, drink or take other drugs, eats a low-fat vegetarian diet and exercises three
times a week - may have emotional problems stemming from poor social relationships and a
perfectionist attitude. Or, a man who doesn't smoke, drinks little alcohol and has good work
and personal relationships may endanger his health by being overweight with the beginnings of
diabetes, hypertension and a potential heart problem.Curiously, computers sometimes elicit
more personal information about sensitive lifestyle areas than a doctors interview. For
instance, many people find it easier to report excess alcohol consumption to a computer than
to a physician. Women, especially, seem more likely to confide alcohol, sexual and other
problems to a computer than to a doctor.

Computerized psychiatric histories sometimes spot
problems missed by clinicians - such as suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression or phobias.
Adolescent and student lifestyles especially poor. One recent study found that seven out of
10 people questioned were particularly worried about nutrition and half were also concerned
about physical inactivity. A study of Queen's University students found that over 80 per cent
fail to get regular medical/dental care, and over half consume excess alcohol and have poor
management of work-leisure time. Study results show student health problems with: * Alcohol:
* Cannabis: * Cigarettes: * Stress: * Inactivity: * Weight: * Sex: * Condom use: Adolescent
eating habits can endanger health.

Stage 5: Maintenance - long-term change achieved and kept up.
Just asking can make a difference.

Surveys show that many people expect physicians or nurses
to ask about and give advice or information regarding health. Given the chance, many people
would like to discuss lifestyle concerns such as nutrition, obesity, alcohol,other drug use,
family conflicts, elderly relatives, sexual problems and chronic pain - but often hesitate to
do so unless asked.

About the author:

Loring Windblad has studied nutrition and exercise for more than 40 years, is a published
author and freelance writer. His latest business endeavor is at http://www.organicgreens.us